The Traveller's Atlas of Sacred and Historical Places : A Guide to the World's Most Mystical Locations

This atlas charts a worldwide journey through varied territory, beginning where legend, myth and reality meet. These are the eternal realms, such as the Garden of Eden, Camelot and Avalon, which cannot now be seen, but which have for centuries motivated explorers, writers and artists. The natural settings are as varied as those of Hawaii's Haleakala Crater, Japan's Mount Fuji and India's River Ganges, places where gods and heroes are believed to have walked on Earth. Human endeavour has created sacred wonders: the Tomb of Tutankhamun cut from the Valley of the Kings; the Mayan city of Tikal in the heart of the Guatemalan jungle; and Ohio's Serpent Mound, created by the ancestors of the Native Americans. Human-built beauty and monuments are the stuff of legends too, from the Taj Mahal to the Forbidden City and Elsinore. Legendary places can embody the triumph of human courage over adversity, as witnessed in the rebuilding of Coventry Cathedral.